What is Allyship?
Allyship is a strategic mechanism used by senior leaders to tackle policies, processes and workplace practices that disadvantage some. Through supportive personal relationships and public acts of sponsorship and advocacy allies create environments where all can thrive and be their best.
Allyship requires leadership and a focus on outcomes. It also requires senior leaders to increase their awareness of the visible forms of disadvantage such as race, ethnicity and physical disability, and invisible forms of disadvantage that colleagues and service users might experience.
For example, in the UK, 1 in 5 people have a disability, 80% of whom have a hidden disability. Hidden disabilities are a wide range of physical and mental conditions that are not visible or immediately obvious. They can range from a speech impediment to, reduced sight, bipolar, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, depression and there are many others.
It is estimated that around 1 in 7 people (more than 15% of people in the UK) are neurodivergent, meaning that the brain functions, learns and processes information differently. Autism spectrum disorder (this includes what was once known as Asperger’s syndrome), Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Down syndrome and Dyscalculia (difficulty with math).
Workplaces and society are still designed for able-bodied neurotypical people and if you are not considering both invisible and visible disadvantages then you are unable to lead and serve all well. In fact, you may inadvertently be making things worse.
To solve this, Jenny Garrett Global has developed a unique allyship programme that boosts productivity between leaders and the workforce by enhancing diversity and inclusiveness within an organisation.
Our Allyship Programme
Our Allyship programme is a safe space for senior leaders to develop their inclusive leadership skills through the positive and practical method of allyship.
The programme will challenge and support you to recognise systems processes and practices that disadvantage some staff and build the courage to make the essential changes necessary for inclusion. It will also challenge you to role model allyship behaviours, step out of your comfort zone and live allyship through advocacy and sponsorship.
Those who stand still are left behind in the fast-paced complex world we live in, allyship is an essential leadership skill for the attraction and retention of the best talent, to ensure you represent all that you serve and to evolve your leadership.
Cultivating Belonging
The programme is performed through five core sessions and seven sessions in total.
Session 1: Foundations of Belonging
- Why psychologically safe spaces are crucial for cultivating Belonging
- Creating a psychologically safe space for those in the cohort
- How to create a psychologically safe space at work
- Sharing your why
Session 2: Overcoming Barriers to Belonging
- Microaggressions and their impact on Belonging
- Danger of banter
- Types of bias and case studies to explore how and why they show up and, the effects on decision making and what to do about them
Session 3: Building Connection
- Why connection is important in the journey to Belonging.
- Approaches to creating real connection at work, even in the online world.
- The role of trust, effective practices and diversity in building connection.
Session 4: Courageous Conversations
- How to have conversations that mention protected characteristics, such as sexual orientation and race
- How to provide difficult feedback on bias or microaggressions experienced
- How to give and receive feedback
Session 5: Being an Advocate
- How to be an advocate for others
- What Allyship looks like
- The qualities you need to develop to be an Ally
- The support that Ally’s need
Why choose Jenny Garrett Global
Jenny Garrett OBE is a leader in the field of allyship, diversity and inclusion with 20 years of expertise in corporate training, delivering programmes and workshops to the UK’s largest brands, local government, and public sector. Jenny and her team have an excellent track record and reputation, taking a blended learning approach, with a willingness to co-create programmes that really serve the client’s ethos and needs.
Interested in creating an allyship programme for your organisation?
Request and review our case studies by contacting us at info@jennygarrett.global
Check out Jenny Garrett OBE’s new book – Equality Vs Equity : Tackling Issues of Race in the Workplace.